Constringent (Divergent Prequel)
by YellowRhapsody23
Summary: We know the story of Divergent and the 5-faction system. But what existed before the faction system? And what if the 5-faction system wasn't the first system to be tried? The story begins at the end of Insurgent, after everyone views the information on the drive. But along with Edith's message, a never before heard story on the first revolution that started it all is shared.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue - Before the Faction System**

 _The faction system wasn't the first idea the authorities came up with for restoring order. In fact, it wasn't even the first long-term solution they instated. There was a whole other system society ran under until it finally miserably collapsed and the need for a new system came. Most people don't know this of course. The government prefers to keep citizens unaware of their mistakes and fallibility._

 _I'm writing this down in the hopes of preserving some history. I'm hoping that once I'm gone and the few other people who know this information are gone, someone will read this with an open mind._

 _It's a bit foolish to assume that causing and winning a revolution will lead always directly to what you were fighting for. Of course it will bring you a step closer, but life is a process and, the fact is, some changes just cannot be made over night._

 **Chapter 1 - The Secret File**

Tris noticed the thin, white slip of paper that the drive ejected after hologram video of Edith Prior played. After the initial state of shock settled a bit and she was able to tune out all the commotion and chaos going on, she hesitantly grabbed the small paper. It appeared blank except for a silvery, gleaming line running length-wise in the center of the paper. Tris stared at it until Tobias noticed and came over to inspect what she was looking at.

"Do you know what this is?" Tris asked as she inspected it curiously. "It just came out of the disk after the video played, almost like some kind of receipt."

Tobias looked just as confused as she did. "I have no idea.. sounds like a question for the erudite."

Tris snorted. "How convenient."

At the sight of the paper, Caleb's eyes widened in recognition. "That.. that can't be what it looks like." Even after everything that happened, he could not hide his intrigue and excitement when new knowledge or information was presented.

Tris struggled to withhold her rage. She still was in shock about Caleb's betrayal, but she forced herself to hold back for the time being."What is it?" she muttered.

"I.. I've only come across brief descriptions and books but.. it's supposed to be the stuff of legends! No one knows of any solid proof of these actually existing!

"What is it Caleb?" Tris asked less patiently this time.

"It's some kind of relic from the past, a previous order." Caleb said thoughtfully. "There have possible been certain changes and differences in the devices we use since the original faction system.. I don't know how extreme the differences were, it varies with each source.. But this is something that has been rumored to have existed at the beginning. It's some kind of memory recording device. People used them as kind of diaries to record accounts of their life story. I'm assuming all the others have been destroyed, for some reason.. but clearly the owner of this one found a good way to insure it's preservation."

"So how does it work? Is it like a stream of memories you can view through a serum? How do you access it's content?"

"Umm.. well its set to open it's contents only to specific or limited number of specific people.. I don't know the specifics.. but you're supposed to run your finger along the length of the paper and silver line.. and I guess from that it detects if you're someone the contents can be granted access to."

Tris had a curious look on her face and gently started to move her finger across the paper.

"Tris, I don't think.." but before Caleb could finish what he was going to say, the paper lit up and started to vibrate with a humming noise. Then the light started to spread until it became a screen with cloudy images forming behind it. And then.. the crowd was given a never before seen glimpse of history


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I wake with a start. I don't remember dreaming anything, but I've been waking as if from a nightmare for the past couple of weeks. A pretty normal reaction if you ask me, as I am about to lose my freedom. But everyone else would disagree; I should be excited.

"Holly! Holly are you awake!?" my sister yells from down the hall before barging into my room.

"Now Kimbra, no need be such a control freak" says my smug and amused brother who appears by the doorway from out of nowhere. My sister rolls her eyes at him.

Both of them so un-concerned, so ignorant. I wish I could be like them.

"Guys, I'm getting out of bed, there's no need for you two to be here, I can get ready myself." I say irritably.

"Of course you can Hollz, but today's a super important day! You need my help getting ready so you look your best!"

"Looks her best for what, a machine?" says Zach.

Kim sighs and rolls her eyes. "It's not about looking good for anyone, it's about having respect for yourself and doing honor for the day. She's going to keep todays events in her memory for the rest of her life."

"Ok fine, but she's NOT wearing that." says Zach, still amused. "Geez Kim I thought you were the fashion expert!"

"Oh shut up, you don't know what you're talking about …"

I walk away to the bathroom to get ready as Kim and Zach continue their bickering. My sister, Kimbra, is 19 and she works in the fashion field doing basic designer work and helping dress, as my brother would call it, "semi-important" people. My brother, Zachariah, is 21 and he works at the factory. He's always been strong and athletic growing up so I guess the program thought his skills would be put to good use doing manual labor.

My siblings are one of the few people their age who still possess a lot of their youthful energy. Most people become so serious once they get their jobs, only ever focused on their requirements and what they're told to do, going about their lives like some kind of programmed robots. I smile and look over at my still arguing siblings. I'm glad they're able to find joy from what they do, they embody what the system was all originally about anyway. People doing what they love and what they're perfectly fit for. The perfect solution to having a perfect society. But over time the original values disintegrated and the government officials, of course, being their usual selves, chose to ignore any flaws in the system. But my siblings are also among the people who are complacent and will never fight or see the need to fight for change.

When I emerge from the bathroom, I notice the outfit my sister has laid out for me and change into it before heading downstairs to join my siblings for breakfast. Kimbra insists on doing my hair and makeup, but as I'm already running a bit late, I promise her she can make me up tomorrow, for my first day of work. Luckily that appeases her and I head out the door on my walk to school.

Some quick facts, my name is Hollande. I'm 16 years old. I mainly live with my two older siblings. My parents both work in government and are rarely home.

As I'm walking, I once again notice the seemingly perfect, orderly routine that people carry on with their day. A wife and mother heading out to her car, in the same grey suit she wears to work everyday, at exactly 8:05am. Never a minute later or earlier. The freshly lawn mowed grass in every neighbors lawn, every neighbors lawn looking exactly the same.

I start to approach my school building, a tall structure, it's exterior made of nothing but large glass windows. It's kind of a part of new age architecture I guess. Straying from the usual materials. I spot my friend Anabelle. I decide it'll be funny sneak up on and surprise her. I sneakily close the distance between us without her noticing and don't speak until I'm right behind her.

"Hiya, Ana"

"Holly!" Anabelle shrieks. Unfortunately she doesn't take too well to my surprise and throws her coffee cup and bag up into the air from surprise. "What do you think you're doing sneaking up on me like that!"

"Sorry!" I struggle to hold back my laughter, but it doesn't really work. "You should've been more attentive, missy. Besides, chillax, we used to do this to each other all the time, you can't tell me you were _that_ surprised."

"Emphasis on the _used to_! Seriously, Holly we're not little kids anymore! After all, we have the job selection today." I can tell she's trying to sound dispassionate and hide her nerves and excitement.

"Yea, thanks for reminding me.." I say grumpily. "Have you thought of what kind of job you might get?"

This time she effortlessly remains emotionless. "No, there's no point in it. The machine will make the right decision, obviously."

"You know the machine's not infallible."

Ana gives me a look then says a little more quietly, "Maybe, but it is most of the time".

I look away. That's something that I don't get. I mean I guess I believed in the "magical-ness" of the machine as a child, in the way that all little kids trust whatever their parents and adults tell them. But ever since I've been able to think for my own, I've been a bit wary of the concept of total trust on a machine to make the most important decisions of your life. I mean it's a bit ridiculous. Of course I'd never admit that aloud though. The Corporation is pretty protective about their little systems and ideas.

And then there are the rumors of people who use their connections in high places to somehow rig the results to, for example, get positions in government. I have no idea how that'd be possible and the teachers are always extremely quick to dismiss that idea as rubbish, but hey, what's the harm in some occasional gossip. We wouldn't be high schoolers without it.

Anyway, I suppose I should give you some more of a background. Years ago, after the world war when civilization completely fell apart, a group of individuals, who in their previous lives were just regular job people, got together and formed the Corporation. They each had knowledge in different fields, like science or politics or humanities or business, and they wanted to combine their knowledge to make innovations to help restore civilization. I don't know all the details, but eventually they recruited followers and members and they came up with a whole new system for governing people. They decided that society would be most productive and peaceful if each person was assigned a job, specifically, the job they were meant to do. Some of the scientists made a kind of diagnostic machine. The idea was that once a student started school, their behavior, in and out of school, and academic performance would be monitored by smaller machines, which would report the information back to the large machine. Then once the students would reach their 11th schooling year, at age 16 or 17, they would go to be individually tested or scanned by the machine. From that, the machine would determine the best career for each individual and that's the career they'd be assigned for the rest of their lives. The invention was considered majorly cool and high-tech at the time, especially after all the destruction of the war. I mean a machine that scans your mind and can analyze years and years of information on you _is_ pretty crazy if you think about it. Needless to say, people were impressed and the idea received a lot of support. Thus, the Corporation, our main body of government, and the "job selection" was born.

I wait, along with all the other the 11th years, in the grand hallway as each individual is called into "the room".. That's the room with the machine in it.. I know, a super creative name. No student has ever been inside to see it before and is forbidden to. Citizens only are allowed to see the machine on one occasion of their lives, job selection day, unless they receive special permissions or their job requires it. There isn't just one main machine anymore, by the way. Over the years, the original machine the scientists developed has been replicated so that copies could be placed in every high school.

The hallway is unusually quiet, with only intermittent chatters being heard. We're instructed to remain quiet as our name is only called out once when it is our turn. I lean back in my chair and stair up at the dome shaped ceiling. The hallway gives off a kind of eerie vibe. Unlike the rest of the rooms in the building, which have regular concrete or stone walls and floors, the grand hall is entirely made of glass. Just like the exterior of the school building. Furthermore, the only lighting the hall receives is natural, from rays of sunlight streaming in through the darkly tinted, navy glass.

I only exchange a couple of sentences with Ana before her name is called. Her last name, Bellow, in alphabetical order comes before my last name, Prior, so I still have some waiting to do before my name is called. When it finally is called, there are only 10-15 students left in the hallway. I leave my seat and walk towards a large marble door, behind which I've never been. When I get to the door, the guard waiting by it instructs me to put my finger in a little thumb print scanner to verify my identity. Then he nods at me and opens the door for me to go through.

When I walk inside the room, I notice I am alone. I don't know why this startles me, we were told ahead of time that no one would be inside with us and they instructed us on what to do. I guess just seeing the machine in person, I was hit with the reality of what was about to happen. I walk up the machine and examine it for a moment. It's not as grand as I expected it to be. It's about 7ft tall and perhaps 2-3 feet in width. I expected it to take up most of the room.

I've really tried to avoid thinking about this moment, but now that I'm actually here, in front of the machine, there's no more running from the reality. I'm about to be tied in metaphorical chains of steel, from which there will be no escape.

I sigh. No use dwelling on the inevitable. I place my palm on a small screen illuminated by green lights. I notice this little screen is right below a larger main screen. The green screen quickly scans my hand and then the machine opens up. It looks kind of like what a standing tanning booth would, I imagine. I walk inside and the machine closes, leaving only a few inches of free space around me. I notice the main screen is visible from inside the machine, as well. The screen projects a couple of wheels, with a main wheel in the center. The rinks of the wheels are blank at the moment, but I imagine once the scan starts, they will be labeled with the names of potential jobs the machine deems us compatible with.

Soon after the machine closes, I hear a kind of hum coming from the machine, a hum that gradually gets louder and louder. Presumably the sound of the mechanical work going on inside. Then the inside of the machine starts to fill with a purple fog and I am illuminated by a purple light coming from above me. Somehow I am still able to see the main screen with the wheels though. The wheels start to spin. They continue to spin for a while until some of the outer wheels slow down, come to a stop and then disappear before I can read what they landed on.

Three out of the four outside wheels stopped spinning and disappeared, that is. The fourth wheel, one in the upper right hand corner continues spinning and makes a loud, painful screeching noise reminiscent of the sound of metal being dragged on a hard surface. There appears to be some kind of glitch in the machine. I smirk to myself. The "perfect" machine making a mistake, now this is interesting.

Luckily, the terrible sound fades after about a minute and the main wheel settles on a label that reads "entry level job in the information field". I shrug. Not bad I guess. The machine didn't give me anything too specific, which is kind of strange and unusual . Not that I'm complaining though! I'm sure they'll sort things out and assign me to a more specific role, anyway, when I come in for my first day tomorrow.

As the machine opens up again, I exit the booth and grab the sheet the machine printed with my results. I stare at it for a moment. Mostly complex sequences and number codes I don't understand. The sheet of paper isn't like regular paper and has a kind of shimmering texture with a gold line running through the center. Also, unlike regular paper, this sheet is virtually un-destructible. I let out a small, bitter laugh. Of course, the Corporation wouldn't have it any other way.

I put the paper in my pocket and head for the door, absently noting that the fourth wheel only now finally stops spinning.

~End of chapter~


End file.
